Q&A #22 – How should I communicate with my Board during tough times in between Board meetings?

Updated July 29, 2024

Question: I am the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization, and my Board generally meets 3 times per year. Because of the crisis, our plans have been changing very rapidly over the past few months. I want to keep my Board in the loop, but I also don't want to overload them with constant emails every time there has been a change affecting our finances. How do I strike this balance and effectively communicate with my Board in between meetings?

Answer: Balancing regular and new communication pathways to the Board of Directors is the key to providing information in between Board meetings. I suggest leaning slightly towards over-communicating vs. under-communicating. Organizations that do not currently send out Board reports in between Board meetings (where the Board meets quarterly or less frequently) should immediately consider adding monthly Board reports that include financial reporting and performance updates. This is an established best practice in good times and bad.

During difficult times like a pandemic or other major unexpected disruption (e.g., the sudden departure of a CEO, loss of a major grant, or economic downturn), it is important to prioritize the psychological needs of your Board. Generally, during a rough stretch people are uncomfortable, not at ease, and longing for information to help them deal with their feelings and retain their trust. Try to take action that aims to add comfort, reassurance, confidence, and trust (emphasis on trust). Regular and/or stepped-up communications will feed their hunger for information and lessen their feelings of uneasiness.

Compliance and best practices are also important during tough times. This is not the time to cut corners, be late with reports, miss deadlines, or otherwise fail to follow regular governance and accounting policies and procedures. The big mistake here is to blame the “crisis” for canceling regular meetings, late reporting, and looking the other way when standard policies and procedures are suddenly not followed. During a crisis we need to be extra attentive to compliance and regular pathways of communications.

My favorite best practice is to distribute regular month-end financial reports to the Board that also contain major program and departmental performance and progress reports, including a report from the CEO. These monthly Board reports are especially important for organizations whose Board of Directors meet on an infrequent basis, such as 2, 3 or 4 times a year. This ensures that on a set day each month, the Board will receive a report that is no more than 30 days from the last report (for example, procedures might call for the Board reports to be delivered by the 25th after the end of the previous month). During a crisis consider adding stepped-up updates on major programs and departmental performance in these monthly reports, which will help heighten transparency and retain Board confidence and trust that management is responding appropriately to changing conditions.

Planning Tip – During unusual periods of change or disruption consider expanding informal conference calls with the Board chair and maybe certain other officers like the treasurer. These can be arranged on a temporary basis and be flexible and temporary to bridge the time period of change and disruption until stability returns. These officers will appreciate the meetings and will impact their communications with their fellow Board members as they have side-conversations in between Board meetings.

Monthly robust reporting will fill the gap nicely in between Board meetings for most circumstances. Communicating more often than monthly should be reserved for extraordinary circumstances.

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